Non violence is a personal choice and practice of being harmless to self and others under any condition emanating from the belief that violence is unnecessary to achieve any outcome.
M K Gandhi (1869-1948)whose birth anniversary falls on 2nd Oct was the biggest proponent of this theory and applied it to oppose the British Imperial rule in India. His ideology was based on the religious principles of AHIMSA of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.
Non Violence is an umbrella describing a range of methods with one common principle—physical violence is not to be used. The pragamatists believe that it is the most effective tool and ideologists approach believe in it for ethical reasons which thereby unites means and ends.
Gandhi believed that a revolution can be effective and successful only through a campaign of non violent protests though history is replete with examples of revolutionaries who were the anti thesis of this thought process .They believed, like in present day context and conflicts all over the World,that armed conflict and brutalities were necessary vehicles to further their cause, beliefs and convictions.
Gandhi said ‘The essence of non violent technique is that it seeks to liquidate antagonism but not the antagonist’. However he did not think that it is a tool for the cowardly who were too scared to take up arms. He said ‘ My non violence does not admit of running away from danger and leaving dear ones unprotected .Between cowardly fight and violence I can prefer only violence to cowardice”, he was quoted as saying in ‘Young India’, on 28 May 1924.
Martin Luther King was an ardent follower of this movement/ideology and said “I have seen too much hate to want to hate –hate is too great a burden to bear”. He added “We will match our opponents’ capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering”.
At a glance violence may appear to be a superior technique for resolving or achieving desired ends because it has obvious and tangible strategies and means to achieve. Non violent techniques are more difficult to visualise – there being no dearth of arguments about moral and practical dilemmas as impediments to take it seriously.
In the present age of globalisation the positives of non violence are manifold and can serve as a panacea to the evils of society. It can help create technocrats, entrepreneurs , business and political leaders who can contribute to peace and a New World bereft of present day strife .It can be the basis of a way of life as this weapon is available to ALL.
